The present invention is directed to a gas conditioner, or secondary reactor vessel, for use with a gasification process. More particularly, the invention relates to a secondary reactor vessel for generating a relatively clean producer gas from a crude gas produced by a gasification process.
Gasification processes, particularly updraft gasification and other thermal processes, produce a crude gas that has a relatively low level of purity and includes toxic chemicals and other contaminants. Such a gas typically contains compounds such as carbon monoxide, hydrogen, methane, carbon dioxide, nitrogen and water vapor, and has an energy value of approximately 1,200 Kcal/m.sup.3 to 1500 Kcal/m.sup.3. Pollutants such as tars, dust, and ash are also present, in relatively high concentrations, in these crude gases. Following a gasification process the crude gas must normally be detared, filtered, purified and cooled before it is used in many energy producing applications.
Alternatively, the crude gases may be passed through a gas conditioner or secondary reactor vessel where they are reacted at a relatively high temperature to crack and convert tars and hydrocarbons, thus yielding a more clean gas. Although conventional secondary reactor vessels tend to improve the purity of crude gasification gas, the resultant producer gas still is not at an optimal purity level. Accordingly, there is a need for a secondary reactor vessel which may be used in conjunction with gasifiers, such as updraft gasifiers, to yield a rather pure producer gas, essentially free of tars and hydrocarbons.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a secondary reactor vessel which efficiently converts and cracks tars and hydrocarbons, and which breaks down other complex molecules contained within a crude gas to yield a more clean producer gas. Another object is to provide a secondary reactor vessel which efficiently mixes the crude gas with air or oxygen for the reaction process. It is also an object to provide reactor components that are useful with other gasifier reactor designs. Other objects will be apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading the following disclosure.